Field of the Embodiments of the Present Disclosure
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to audio signal processing and, more specifically, to a sports headphone with situational awareness.
Description of the Related Art
Headphones, earphones, earbuds, and other personal listening devices are commonly used by individuals who desire to listen to an audio source, such as music, speech, or movie soundtracks, without disturbing other people in the nearby vicinity. In order to provide good quality audio, such devices typically cover the entire ear or completely seal the ear canal. Typically, these devices include an audio plug for insertion into an audio output of an audio playback device. The audio plug connects to a cable that carries the audio signal from the audio playback device to a pair of headphones or earphones that are placed over or inserted into the listener's ears. As a result, the headphones or earphones provide a good acoustic seal, thereby reducing audio signal leakage and improving the quality of the listener's experience, particularly with respect to bass response.
One problem with the above devices is that, because the devices form a good acoustic seal with the ear, the ability of the listener to hear environmental sound is substantially reduced. As a result, the listener may be unable to hear certain important sounds from the environment, such as an oncoming vehicle, an announcement over an intercom system, or an alarm. In one example, a bicyclist riding within a paceline could be listening to music but would still like to hear the voices of other bicyclists in the paceline riding to the front and rear. In another example, a diner could be listening to music while waiting for an announcement that the diner's table is ready.
One solution to the above problems is to acoustically or electronically mix audio from the environment with the audio signal received from the playback device. The listener is then able to hear both the audio from the playback device and the audio from the environment. One drawback with such solutions, though, is that the listener typically hears all audio from the environment rather than just the specific environmental sounds that the listener desires to hear. As a result, the quality of the listener's experience can be substantially reduced.
As the foregoing illustrates, a more effective technique for providing both playback audio and environmental sound to a personal listening device would be useful.